Do you really know Tony...

Tony Batman

During the day, he’s the mild-mannered, easy going Anthony Pucillo. But when the night arrives he comes alive, assuming his alter ego. The signal has been sent. They’re clamoring for “Batman” and the “powers” that he’ll bring with him. But this Batman doesn’t have a mask, or a cape, or any of those fancy gadgets. This Batman arrives, instead, wearing a fedora hat and a sport jacket. His lone “fancy gadget” is a wireless microphone that he wields with flair. And those that send out the “bat signal,” if you will, are the myriad of adult nightclubs, dance contest producers and other adult industry pros who hire Pucillo—aka, Tony Batman—to host and emcee their events.

“I’m literally on the road 10 or 12 days a month,” says Pucillo, who lives in South Florida where he shares a house with his friend and business partner, DJ Platypus (the pair own/operate PlanetPlatypus.com). “It’s great, I love being in the clubs and meeting new people, but it’s a double-edged sword. Operating my websites takes me 10 hours a day, every day, so I have to work on the road just to keep up!”While he operates under the Tony Batman moniker, the superhero that would probably fit him more appropriately is the Incredible Hulk—or, more succinctly, the Hulk’s alter ego, Bruce Banner. Like Banner, Pucillo rarely stays in one place for very long. He was born in Chicago, moved to Tampa Bay, relocated with family to North Georgia, moved back to Tampa Bay, then to Los Angeles, and eventually lived life on the road with feature entertainers, including his ex-wife Reagan Anthony. “After working in this industry for 15 years now, I’ve seen so many things I never thought I’d see,” jokes Pucillo. “And to think I used to be a correctional counselor for the State of Florida!” In those 15 years, a lot has happened for Anthony Pucillo. After all, he became Tony Batman. He’s provided his vocal talents in virtually every corner of the country, including the Playboy Mansion, the Whiskey A Go-Go and the Annual ED’s Awards Show. He’s created a huge internet presence with TonyBatman.com and PlanetPlatypus.com. And recently, he received the 2014 ED’s DJ/Emcee of the Year Award. But what do we “really” know about Tony Batman? — Dave Manack

The origin of the “Batman” (note: he’s not even into comic books)

“In the early 2000s, I had become the head DJ at Deja Vu in Tampa, which meant I worked nights. The GM called me one day and said he needed me to pick up a day shift; I had just gone to bed! So I came in and I was grumpy as hell. The GM and staff started giving me a hard time, saying, ‘Hey this is the guy who only works at night. He thinks he’s Batman!’ And it stuck. Pretty soon, people started giving me different Batman trinkets, shirts, etc. It got to a point where a guy at the club made a Batman logo ‘gel’ [colored light—Ed.] that they’d put on the ceiling of the club when my shift started.”

His sister got him his first DJ gig

“My sister’s friend starting dancing at a strip club in Clearwater, FL, called Teasers. Of course, that led to my sister dancing there as well. When they needed a nighttime DJ, my sister told the GM that I had radio experience (at WRNZ in Georgia), so they hired me. My sister made sure she didn’t work the same shifts that I did!”

Strip clubs cost him his day job—and it’s the best thing that ever happened to him!

“I worked for the State of Florida as a correctional counselor for 10 years, from the time I was 19 until I was 29. When they found out I worked at night at a strip club, they told me it was a ‘conflict of interest.’ I couldn’t understand that, because plenty of other people I worked with had night jobs at bars or restaurants. But when I saw that I was making more in one night at the club than I was making in a week working for the State, I just quit.”

After a “porn cruise,” he took his talents on the road

“There was a ‘porn cruise’ and I was hired to emcee the on-deck party. I soon realized I had a knack for emceeing events. This led to emceeing events for the Pure Talent Agency; I then began hosting Nudes-A-Poppin, which I’ve done for about 10 years. And now I’m doing the EDIs (Exotic Dancer Invitationals). One thing has constantly led to another; I’m not complaining!”

He’s seen some crazy things along the way

“Where do I start ... there was the time I emceed an event at the Whiskey on the Sunset Strip with Amber and Heather from VH1’s “Rock of Love” [the show starring Bret Michaels of Poison], then the time Dennis Hof [of The Bunny Ranch] put me on stage during a charity event at the Playboy Mansion. Or there was that one time I was emceeing a contest in Missouri, when a club owner brought his wife to our hotel and told us he wanted us to have sex with his wife in front of him.It’s been a wild ride!”